Shape memory materials are defined by their capacity to recover a predetermined shape after significant mechanical deformation. The shape memory effect is typically initiated by a change in temperature and has been observed in metals, ceramics, and polymers. From a macroscopic point of view, the shape memory effect in polymers differs from ceramics and metals due to the lower stresses and larger recoverable strains achieved in polymers.
Several existing devices have incorporated shape memory metals into a hernia patch. For example, in PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2012/034126 a shape memory polymer is integrated into a medical fabric such as a hernia patch. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,735, a combination of synthetic mesh is supported on a ring of shape memory metal alloy for use as a hernia repair patch. Similarly, another hernia repair patch is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0265710 that uses a shape memory alloy (i.e., Nitinol) or shape memory polymer (Polynorbornene) as a frame for the synthetic mesh of the patch.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.